Joel Colindrés and his wife, Samantha, listen to Representative Elizabeth Esty during a press conference at the Colindrés home on Monday afternoon. Colindrés was told July 20 during a meeting with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that he has to leave the country by Aug. 17. Monday, August 7, 2017, in New Fairfield, Conn. less

Joel Colindrés and his wife, Samantha, listen to Representative Elizabeth Esty during a press conference at the Colindrés home on Monday afternoon. Colindrés was told July 20 during a meeting with U.S. ... more

Joel Colindrés gets a hug from Sen. Richard Blumenthal after a July news conference at the Colindrés home . Rep. Elizabeth Esty and Colindrés wife, Samantha, look on. On Thursday, the day Colindres was to be deported, he received a stay allowing him to remain in the United States. less

Joel Colindrés gets a hug from Sen. Richard Blumenthal after a July news conference at the Colindrés home . Rep. Elizabeth Esty and Colindrés wife, Samantha, look on. On Thursday, the day Colindres was to be ... more

Joel Colindres and his family after they found out that Colindres was issued a temporary stay of his deportation.

Joel Colindres and his family after they found out that Colindres was issued a temporary stay of his deportation.

Photo: Contributed Photo

Image 8 of 8

New Fairfield man facing deportation wins temporary stay

1 / 8

Back to Gallery

NEW FAIRFIELD — Joel Colindrés, a Guatemalan-born man living in the U.S. since 2004, was issued a temporary stay of a deportation Thursday less than an hour before he was scheduled to leave the United States.

Colindrés, 33, had been ordered to leave the country by Aug. 17 during a meeting last month with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Hartford. He had purchased a ticket and was at JFK International Airport saying goodbye to his American family when he learned of his reprieve.

The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued the temporary stay about 2:30 p.m. The stay has no set expiration date, said his attorney, Erin O’Neil-Baker.

The Colindrés family, including his wife, Samantha, a U.S. citizen, and their two American-born children, 6-year-old Preston and 2-year-old Lila, had been at the airport for several hours when they received the news.

“It’s been a horrible 24 hours for them,” O’Neil-Baker said.

But she said the family is now “ecstatic.”

“They recognize that this isn’t a permanent decision,” she said. “For Joel, he recognizes it’s one more day with his family.”

After hearing the news, “My husband picked me up in the airport and twirled me around for like a minute,” Samantha Colindres said. “My husband and son ran to the car together.”

“Joel’s face was just ecstatic,” she said.

Once they got to the car, 6-year-old Preston shouted, “This is the best day of my life.”

Preston was devastated before, even though all they told him was that his dad was going on vacation alone, she said.

When they got home, they saw that Samantha’s parents had written messages in chalk on their walkway, like “Welcome home” and “Save Joel.”

In a Facebook post, the couple thanked their family, friends and supporters.

“We could not have achieved this miracle without you all,” they wrote.

Colindrés’s case has generated strong support from the local Congressional delegation.

“Reason and justice have prevailed, at least temporarily, enabling Joel Colindrés to stay with his family and pursue a fair hearing,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal said in a statement. “I will continue to stand with the family — who would be ripped apart by this cruel and arbitrary deportation.”

Sen. Chris Murphy said in a statement the stay allows Colindrés to remain in the country while the court considers new evidence in his case.

“I’m relieved for Joel, his wife Samantha, and their two little kids,” Murphy said. “My office has been in close contact with the Colindrés family and their attorney, and we’re going to keep working with ICE to make sure Joel can stay here at home in Connecticut.

“The Trump administration has been targeting families like the Colindrés, and it’s an abomination,” Murphy said. “President Trump must put an end to these costly, mean-spirited policies.”

Rep. Elizabeth Esty said in a statement she was relieved Colindrés would be able to make his case in court.

“Joel is a loving, hardworking father who pays his taxes, contributes to his community, and has no criminal record,” Esty said.

“While this reprieve is a step toward justice for the Colindrés family, their experience is nevertheless a perfect illustration of how broken our immigration system is,” she added. “Tearing apart the Colindrés family won’t make any other American safer or more prosperous. I will continue to push for comprehensive immigration reform that grows our economy, secures our border, keeps families together, and creates an earned path to citizenship.”

On Wednesday, O’Neil-Baker had said other motions for a stay of his deportation order had been denied.

Colindrés’ has said when he first came to the United States in 2004, a mix-up with paperwork led him to miss a court date, resulting in an order for his removal. The order has created a barrier in seeking legal residency based on his 2010 marriage to his wife, Samantha.

He has several pending requests with federal immigration authorities, including one to reopen the case that led to his order of removal. He has applied for asylum, saying he fears for his life if he goes back to Guatemala. O’Neil-Baker said three of his family members were murdered in the last year.

“We’re very happy,” said Colindrés’s nephew, Edwin. “They are going to stay together.”